Sunday, May 04, 2008

Sefira Beard and Allergies

My sefirah beard and mustache is driving me nuts! Every year, sefirah starts at the beginning of glorious spring. And spring is really nice, except that the pollen really affects me. I have difficulty breathing through my nose, my nose runs, and I get all congested. And I can't stop sneezing. The sneezes sometimes shake my whole body, such that my arms up to the tips of my fingers ache. And my eyes burn.

When walking outside, I have taken to covering my mouth and nose with a tissue, and breathing through it. Even so, my eyes itch. And pollen lands on skin and clothing, and I can breath it in even when indoors.

One of the biggest problems is the beard and mustache. They catch and hold pollen, and the mustache is right under my nose. (Not to mention the effects of repeated violent sneezing into a mustache.) It is easier to wash pollen off of smooth skin. But I think it is the mustache which causes a lot of the problems. (And no, I have no intention of taking antihistamines.)

The beard and mustache itch a bit, because I am not used to it, but I can stand that. If only sefirah did not fall out at the beginning of spring.

I would assume there is halachic justification for shaving in such a situation, but I never looked into it.

1 comment:

yaak said...

I guess you'll just have to move south of the equator. :-)

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